Kid's boat

[daddles]

I'm after a boat for my kids.
Number one son wants to build himself a boat. I'm currently building a pram that will do the sail training but it is sized for big people when it comes to rowing. With number one wanting to build and then a seven year old and a two year old behind him (who won't be learning to row just yet), any kid's boat is going to get a few years use.

So:
Boat sized for kids to row.
Rowing only.
Flat water - when it's choppy they can just nag.
Easy build - for the lad but also to get it out of my shop, I'm a realist and know that I'll be doing a fair whack of it anyway.
Cheap or free is good.

I've done a search on the forum and while I found a lot of old links, very few pictures survive and few of the external links still work. Mind you, that could just be my inability to do searchs.

Cheers
Richard

[siberianswampdonkey]

What do you think of this? Easy to build. Fairly cheap. And kid sized but it will still fit an adult if need be.

http://www.boatplans-online.com/proddetail.php?prod=N7

[Meerkat]

How about the Mouse, a boat designed for kids to build!

http://home.clara.net/gmatkin/homewardbound2.jpg

http://home.clara.net/gmatkin/decklessmouse.jpg

It takes one sheet of ply and the plans are free!

Much more, including other designs at: http://home.clara.net/gmatkin/photoalbum.htm

[Keith Wilson]

I'd build a Bolger Teal. Two sheets of plywood, dead simple, good size for kids but not a toy, you can convert it to sail later if you want, and it's not at all bad-looking. You can build it without any fiberglass sheathing at all if you like; much nicer to work with the kids that way. I built one in a week after work without staying up too late (not including painting). Great boat as long as you don't overload it too much.

Here's a link to Dynamite Payson's web site (http://www.instantboats.com/teal.htm) where you can get plans.

And here's one rigged for sail:

http://www.alaska.net/~mzeiger/Images/christening.JPG

[Leon Steyns]

Richard,

The D4 aka D5. It's small, fast, cheap to build and the plans are free. Download the plans here (http://www.bateau2.com/free/4dink.zip).
Warning! clicking link will engage download session.

http://www.bateau2.com/gallery/D5/photos/D4_inwater1.JPG
And my favorite picture of the D4:
http://www.bateau2.com/gallery/D5/photos/D4_oncar.JPG

Greets, Leon Steyns.

[Edited: So many people, so many opinions... :D ]

[ 12-02-2003, 06:32 PM: Message edited by: Leon Steyns ]

[John B]

I found that my kids hit a threshold around 3 when they all of a sudden became remarkably competent. At 2 they'd slosh around but not go far.
calm water.LOL. I'll never forget the day Zoe rolled her boat in the surf. she was 5 or 6. not a big wave but big enough. Ar har har. :D
" Zoe's beach" lol. like a cat that had a forced bath. actually, now that I think of it... it was her brothers boat she rolled.......

[TonyH]

Bill Garden has a nice design for a one-sheet-of-ply "Puddle Boat" at the front of his first book of designs. A very easy build.

[PaulC]

Wow! That's my Mouse! The red one! On the Wooden Boat Forum!!! Hey Ma...

It's gotten lots and lots of water beneath it since that picture. It's gone from Sault Sainte Marie to Florida with many, many places in between.

(It's also gotten a better wooden paddle since that picture. And a short deck on both the bow and stern for a bit of protection from the unthinking jet skier wake.)

[imported_Steven Bauer]

Build the Mouse. Gavin Atkin posts here sometimes. I think it'd be perfect.

Steven

[ion barnes]

Six hour canoe is another consideration. Can be decked over too.

[NormMessinger]

Lots of good options above. I think my choice would still be the One-Sheet Skiff. http://www3.sympatico.ca/herbert.mcleod/skiff.htm

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid63/pa2677d0e6d2d7389065ddb8c114a9e61/fc04f095.jpg

Pictures of other boats my grandneighbor kids have built with a little help from me are at http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4290021937 .

The blue canoe is a six-hour canoe, the white one a "Cheap Canoe." All are easy projects for a kid. Daniel was 8 when he built the one sheet skiff, his sisters were older when they did their canoes.

[daddles]

Thanks for the suggestions. All hard to choose from - that N7 is a classy looking boat. I think I'll go with the One Sheet Skiff. I was tempted by the Mouse (yet again, I'll have to build one) but part of the idea was something to teach them to row in. And we'll have at least one (planning on two) full sized 8' prams for when the water's a bit rougher. The OSS looks ideal - he can build it and when his brother tosses a fruity about not having his own, it won't hurt much to build another.

As SWMBO just said: how many boats are we going to have?

Cheers
Richard

[NormMessinger]

Good choice. And when your son tires of his OSS perhaps he will let you and a friend borrow it.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid15/p7ea4b81713f1bd4922865786d2b1ba86/fde75f03.jpg

[daddles]

The bloke with the paddle's having fun, but the codger behind looks like he's having a panic attack. I can't believe the loads people are putting in those things. I guess it's that wide, flat bottom.

Richard

[holzbt]

Take a look at TETRA on this site.
http://www.sredmond.com/index_boat.htm

[Gavin Atkin]

For some time, I've had the idea that that it would be good to re-organise the standard Mouse's internal arrangement to make it practical for rowing - beam-wise, I think it would be fine for a child up to about 5ft.

If anyone here would like that version, let me know at gmatkin@clara.net and I'll be glad to oblige.

PaulC - I'm delighted to hear you're still enjoying your little boat. I'm constantly amazed to hear stories about the things people do with these boats - they're certainly much better than they have any right to be at their size and cost. And no, I don't take too much credit for that - it just happened.

Gav

[PaulC]

Boy and seeing it here is better than the cover of the Rolling Stone!

[ 12-05-2003, 08:55 PM: Message edited by: PaulC ]